Seat-belt lock assembly

ABSTRACT

In a belt buckle assembly ( 8 ) comprising a belt buckle casing ( 10 ) and comprising a lighting device ( 26 ) provided at the belt buckle casing ( 10 ) for marking the insertion aperture ( 22 ) for the plug-in tongue the lighting device ( 26 ) includes a lamp ( 28 ), especially an LED, as well as a light conductor ( 32 ) being positioned at the belt buckle casing ( 10 ) in the area of the insertion aperture ( 22 ) and tapered in wedge shape toward the lamp ( 28 ), the light conductor absorbing and distributing the light emitted by the lamp ( 28 ).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application corresponds to PCT/EP2012/003923, filed Sep. 20, 2012, which claims the benefit of German Application No. 10 2011 114 538.2, filed Sep. 29, 2011, the subject matter, of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a belt buckle assembly comprising a belt buckle casing and a lighting device provided at the belt buckle casing for marking the insertion aperture for the plug-in tongue.

Belt buckles comprising lighting devices which serve for marking the insertion aperture for the plug-in tongue of the belt are generally known from prior art. These lighting devices allow for quicker and easier finding of the belt buckle in the dark and for quick recognition of the insertion aperture for the plug-in tongue and thus for simple operation of the belt buckle. The lighting devices are intended, on the one hand, to ensure reliable lighting of the insertion aperture, the prerequisite of which is a long life of the lighting, as the belt buckle casings are usually closed by adhesive closure by a welding method so that subsequent opening and exchange of the lamp is not or only possible with great effort. Moreover, the space within a belt buckle casing is limited so that a very compact design of the lighting device is desired. The insertion aperture in addition is to be lighted as largely as possible so as to prevent inadvertent covering. Previous belt buckle assemblies meet these requirements only insufficiently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide a belt buckle assembly which permits as complete and permanent illumination of the insertion aperture as possible with minimum space required.

The object is achieved in that in a belt buckle assembly comprising a belt buckle casing and a lighting device provided at the belt buckle casing for marking the insertion aperture for the plug-in tongue the lighting device includes a lamp, especially an LED, as well as a light conductor positioned at the belt buckle casing in the area of the insertion aperture and tapered in wedge shaped toward the lamp, the light conductor absorbing and distributing the light emitted from the lamp. The lamp is preferably so small that a conventional belt buckle casing can be used. The previous drawbacks of a small lamp, especially of an LED, viz. a very small illuminated area, are compensated by the fact that a wedge-shaped light conductor is arranged ahead of the lamp for scattering the light emitted from the lamp so that a larger illuminated area is visible on the outside of the belt buckle. Thus in the case of a very small lamp requiring only little space in the belt buckle casing, a very large illuminated area which is clearly visible can be provided. By the wedge shape preferably visible from outside moreover an optical marking of the inserting direction of the plug-in tongue is provided, which assists quicker fastening of the seat belt. Apart from the little space required, an LED in addition offers the advantage that it is very robust and little interference-prone.

In order to facilitate mounting of the belt buckle preferably a joint carrier member which is fastened to the belt buckle casing is provided for the lamp and the light conductor. The lamp and the light conductor can be pre-assembled on said carrier member so that during mounting of the belt buckle only one component, i.e. the carrier member, has to be fastened to the belt buckle casing. This offers the additional advantage that the exact positioning of the light conductor with respect to the lamp required for achieving good illumination of the insertion aperture can take place in preparation of the mounting on the carrier member. The carrier member can also be supplied with the lamp and the light conductor being pre-assembled.

The carrier member may include an electric resistor for adapting the voltage of the power circuit to the voltage required by the lamp.

The carrier member includes, for example, a plastic sheathing and a conductor especially formed of a lead frame around which the plastic sheathing is injection-molded. The conductor is protected and safely held by the plastic sheathing so that damage of the conductor by vibrations can be safely excluded. At said plastic sheathing also sockets or fastening elements for the lamp and the light conductor onto which said components can be easily attached can be provided so that the plastic sheathing also facilitates assembling of the belt buckle assembly. When the conductor is formed of a lead frame, this has moreover the advantage that the exact shape or the course of the conductor is predetermined and the latter cannot move in an injection mold in which plastic material is injection-molded around the conductor during the injection operation.

So as to make the lamp contact the power circuit of the vehicle the carrier member preferably has cables that can be laid in the belt buckle casing. The cables can be electrically connected to the conductor or can be part of the conductor.

Instead of a lead frame, the lamp and possibly the resistor can also be connected to the cable via a printed circuit board.

At the inside of the belt buckle casing for this purpose preferably ducts are formed in which the cables are laid. The ducts are formed, for instance, so that the cables do not get out of place during mounting the belt buckle and thus get not jammed between the belt buckle and the belt buckle casing. In particular, the cables can be retained at the belt buckle casing by strain reliefs so that the cables are prevented from rupturing in the case of excessive tensile load.

In another embodiment, the light conductor can be injection-molded to the belt buckle casing, for instance, so that said light conductor is integrally connected to the belt buckle casing. The light conductor preferably forms a flush even surface with the belt buckle casing such that no disturbing gaps or edges are formed on the outside so that the belt buckle casing offers high-grade appearance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and features are resulting from the following description in conjunction with the enclosed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a belt buckle assembly according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a belt buckle shell of the belt buckle casing of FIG. 1 comprising a lighting device,

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the belt buckle shell of FIG. 2 comprising a mounted lighting device, and

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view across the light conductor of the lighting device of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1 a belt buckle assembly 8 comprising a belt buckle casing 10 is shown having an upper belt buckle shell 12 and a lower belt buckle shell 14. The belt buckle casing 10 substantially corresponds to a conventional belt buckle casing the belt buckle shells 12, 14 are interconnected by adhesive closure along a weld 16, for instance by ultrasonic welding.

At a rear end 18 the belt buckle casing 10 is fastened on the vehicle side via fittings. At the opposite front end 20 an insertion aperture 22 for a plug-in tongue not represented here as well as an operating key 24 for releasing the plug-in tongue are shown.

Moreover, a lighting device 26 the structure of which will be explained hereinafter is provided at the insertion aperture 22.

The lighting device 26 substantially consists, as is evident from FIG. 2, of a lamp 28, in this case an LED, a carrier member 30 for the lamp 28, a light conductor 32 as well as two cables 34 for establishing a contact between the lighting device 26 and a power circuit.

The carrier member 30 is a plastic injection-molded part which completely encloses a conductor electrically connecting the cables 34 to the lamp 28 and thus protects said conductor. The conductor is formed, for example, of a lead frame around which a plastic sheathing is injection-molded. The carrier member 30 has a socket 36 for the lamp 28 as well as on the rear side connecting facilities 38 for the cables 34. As will be shown hereinafter, said carrier member 30 constitutes a holding device for the lamp 28 so as to fasten the same in the belt buckle shell 14.

The light conductor 32 is formed of an at least partly light-permeable plastic material and is tapered in wedge shape toward the lamp 28, as is visible in FIG. 2. The end 40 facing the lamp 28 has a shape that allows for a direct connection of the light conductor 32 to the lamp 28.

At the front end 20 of the belt buckle shell 14 a recess 46 into which the light conductor 32 can be inserted as well as a receiving pocket 48 for the lamp 28 and the carrier member 30 including a connection to the recess 46 are provided.

In FIG. 3 the components of the lighting device are shown in the mounted state in the belt buckle shell 14. The light conductor 32 is inserted into the recess 46, wherein the visible front side of the light conductor 32 ends flush with the outside of the belt buckle shell 14 and forms an even surface with the same.

It is especially also imaginable that the light conductor 32 is injection-molded directly to the belt buckle shell 14 during manufacturing the belt buckle shell in a two-component injection method so that the light conductor 32 is connected by adhesive closure to the belt buckle shell 14. This offers the advantage that the transition between the light conductor 32 and the belt buckle shell 14 can be formed without any disturbing edges or gaps.

The carrier member 30 and the lamp 28 are inserted in the acceptance 48 and the cables 34 are laid in ducts 42 provided at the belt buckle shell 14. At the rear end 18 of the belt buckle shell 14 strain reliefs 44 which in this case are formed by hot caulking are provided at said ducts. Said strain reliefs prevent excessive strain on the cables inside the belt buckle shell 14 which might entail loss of the contact between a cable 34 and the carrier member 30.

The light emitted by the lamp 28 is scattered by the light conductor 32 so that the entire front side 50 of the light conductor 32 is illuminated (FIG. 4). As is evident in particular in FIGS. 1 and 3, by the light conductor 32 thus a wedge-shaped illuminated field is formed at the insertion aperture 22 of the belt buckle casing 10 which field in a way predetermines by its arrow shape the direction in which a plug-in tongue is to be inserted in the insertion aperture 22.

Since the LED provides a very robust lamp 28, a reliable operation of the lighting device 26 is ensured. By appropriately designing the light conductor 32 a full-surface and uniform illumination of the light conductor 32 is obtained.

Deviating from the embodiment shown here, it is also imaginable, however, that the light conductor 32 is mounted jointly with the lamp 28 on the carrier member 30 and thus forms a unit adapted to be supplied in a completely pre-assembled form so that the local mounting work is reduced. 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A belt buckle assembly (8) comprising a belt buckle casing (10) and comprising a lighting device (26) provided at the belt buckle casing (10) for marking the insertion aperture (22) for the plug-in tongue, wherein the lighting device (26) includes a lamp (28), especially an LED, as well as a light conductor (32) being positioned at the belt buckle casing (10) in the area of the insertion aperture (22), said light conductor (32) absorbing and distributing the light emitted by the lamp (28), wherein the light conductor (32) is tapered in wedge shape toward the lamp (28), such that that the entire front side (50) of the light conductor (32) is illuminated thereby forming a wedge-shaped illuminated field at the insertion aperture (22) of the belt buckle casing (10).
 11. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 10, wherein a carrier member (30) for the lamp (28) is provided and said carrier member is fastened to the belt buckle casing.
 12. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 10, wherein a joint carrier member (30) for the lamp (28) and the light conductor (32) is provided which is fastened to the belt buckle casing (10).
 13. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 11, wherein the carrier member (30) includes an electric resistor.
 14. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 11, wherein the carrier member (30) includes a plastic sheathing as well as a conductor formed especially of a lead frame around which the plastic sheathing is injection-molded.
 15. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 10, wherein the carrier member (30) is connected to a printed circuit board bearing the lamp.
 16. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 10, wherein the carrier member (30) includes cables (34) so as to bring the lamp (28) into contact with a power circuit.
 17. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 16, wherein the cables (34) are laid in ducts (42) formed at the inside of the belt buckle casing (10) and are retained at the belt buckle casing (10) especially by strain reliefs (44).
 18. The belt buckle assembly according to claim 10, wherein the light conductor (32) is injection-molded to the belt buckle casing (10). 